For my first mission, I asked Michelle if I could tag along. Following a bit of clearing on Mr G's garden we were handed a nifty grocery list and headed over to the shop.

After counting our (Kyiv and Pesto) chickens (as well as the rest of the list, we headed back to a thankful Mr G.

All that while avoiding the rain! A nice first mission for Gus. Thanks Michelle and thanks Mr G!

For Gus’s first mission with Goodgym we joined forces to head over the border into Ealing to help Mr G with clearing his front garden. Along the way I met with two furry friends, one a little on the older side with a croaky meow and the other who was happier and more affectionate than the photo suggests.

Mr G was pleased to see us and came down to show us what he wanted help clearing so there were no hazards outside his front door. The main topic of conversation today was the current state of world affairs and how difficult this is to see and read about when there is very little we can do about it.

Once we’d cleared the small number of weeds which had found their way to the surface, despite Mr G’s best efforts to contain them, we swept and tidied the path and moved some of the wood that had been getting in the way of the path.

After that it was time for the second mission of the day; Mr G’s weekly shop and Gus’s first shopping mission. To be continued …

For tonight's group run, Northfields Community Library had asked GoodGym Ealing to spread the word about the services they offer to people living in the communities near the library. The first area to engage with was in South Ealing, where the library was keen to attract residents to visit their hub on Northfield Avenue. Little did the GoodGymers know of the adventure and perils that awaited them.

Sevan tried to plot a sensible route through an irregularly shaped estate. As they went from door to door, Ming doorbells were everywhere, a lucrative sideline of Ming the Merciless, who had become tired of being evil and was finally trying to go it kinda straight. The doorbells looked perfectly innocent, however they were actually being monitored by a control freak, who didn't want the GoodGymers nor the library to achieve their goal.

The team were making steady progress when they became aware a villainous pirate called Captain Book, who wanted to keep books and knowledge all to himself. This was the opposite of the library's aim, as they wanted to share knowledge and understanding with everyone. The Captain had seen and heard that GoodGym were coming, so he had put obstacles in their way. Snappy letter boxes and angry dogs were some of the early tests that the team faced and overcame. Kash ran and dodged from house to house, avoiding electric scooters and dangerously overgrown hedges.

Eventually, having overcome all other challenges, they reached Book's final test. Liuba was made to walk the plank... and she survived! Liuba returned with her bundle of flyers, having liberated another house from Book's tyranny. After that success, it was time for the GoodGymers to leave the land that Book controlled. Book's hold over the land was weakened, but there is still more for GoodGym to do to free the residents from his oppression.

Mohamed, Sevan and Kash set off for a run from Pear Tree Park and retraced their steps to the OSCARS café on Pitshanger Lane. After a lunch break, their last session that Sunday was just a short jog away. Madiha met the trio at the task after her uphill bike ride. It was great to see her again after a break!

Tamzin from Care4Calais offered the GoodGymers coffee before cracking on with the task. It was the perfect time to announce the latest GoodGym Ealing news: Mohamed's black belt in good deeds - namely, 50 good deeds! Well done, Mohamed. Your unwavering enthusiasm for volunteering and dedication to the Care4Calais cause could not go unnoticed!

Today's job was all about creating labelled packs for individual refugees. Sevan stayed at the ground level at the beginning, assuming the role of a label scribe, which looked like the last thing GoodGymers look for: a desk job! Meanwhile, Mohamed was already making clothes parcels, assembling sets of small, medium, large and extra-large items for men and women. Madiha and Kash, new to creating packs, tried their best not to look confused. Among all the ambiguity, one thing was certain: every refugee lady deserved a scarf - or three of them! The donations of scarves were so abundant that Tamzin decided they had to be given out to not take as much space.

The team created impressive piles of packs for several West London hotels providing shelter for asylum seekers, which hopefully helped Tamzin to catch up on the requests made by refugees during her break!

On a chilly Sunday morning, a group of daredevils wearing red walked out from a coffee shop on Pitshanger Lane. Who would have stayed in a warm, cosy place sipping hot beverages and munching on pastry while adventure awaited in Perivale? The adventurers met a young man wearing shorts in February - just like Steph Ducat does - and they knew right away, he was one of them! Daniel, our newest addition to the GoodGym Ealing team, was not intimidated by the freezing temperature and joined us for a walk to Pear Tree Park, where Richard and three other Ealing Greenwayers awaited with a task.

While the Greenwayers provided the tools and expertise for today's job, the GoodGym run leaders brought their own know-how to the session. Since everyone felt it was a bit too nippy to start the task, Kash conducted a warm-up for everyone and raised the temperature to sub-tropical levels. Getting the muscles and joints warmed up helped the participants to stay injury-free today. Of course, let's not forget Richard's obligatory health and safety briefing!

"In short, don't chop each other's heads off." - Richard
"Don't worry about the limbs. Richard is a qualified first aider. Ha can sort those out." - Kash

Both teams grabbed forks and trowels, then attacked the rockery near the old, now closed, park cafe. The weeds were much weaker than in the summer, so the big team removed the most of undesirable greenery within the first hour. Sevan, Mohamed, Steph and Kash then moved on to the GoodGymer's favourite winter pastime: woodchipping, while Daniel faithfully stuck to the original task to do it wholly and properly.

Five minutes before the task finish time, Steph and Kash heard someone saying brute force and were all ears. Richard casually mentioned a side quest - something about a stubborn tree stump near the green waste dumping area. The two walked there to investigate, then returned a few minutes later.

"No, there is no tree stump over there."

Richard glanced towards the bothersome tree trunk, which indeed disappeared. Or was he only dreaming about it?

Before leaving, the GoodGymers treated everyone to a short series of cooldown stretches, which Richard later asked to become - along with the warm-up - a standard part of the Pear Tree Park sessions!

Join us for next month's task with Ealing Greenwayers - and if you cannot wait to see us earlier, pop in for another weekend green task at Grove Farm next Saturday.

There was a biting cold wind blowing through Pitshanger Park this morning for Junior parkrun. It blew straight through the volunteers too, who nevertheless put on a cheery and enthusiatic event for all today's runners.

Steph Ducat, Chris McC, Kash, Gaby and Sevan all used their motivational skills to help the 61 finishers around the course. Kash and Gaby as marshals and Chris and Sevan as timekeepers were all cheering and put the power of the high 5 into action. Steph on the other hand had to be more creative as the tail walker, hopping, skipping and running to keep the final child entertained and moving towards completing his 2km.

At the finish, Mohamed was getting to grips with funnel management, keeping children in line. Harvey was barcode scanning and Chris Y was providing everyone with moral support. Chris was also silently mocking everyone else's lack of planning as he rocked his woolly mittens 🧤❄️.